Festival Builds New Community For Year 6 Teachers

FESTIVAL BUILDS NEW COMMUNITY FOR YEAR 6 TEACHERS

PedTech provider Learning by Questions (LbQ), in association with PGL, recently hosted a festival-style Year 6 Travel Guide LIVE event with a team of educational experts.

Taking place at PGL Dearne Valley in Doncaster, the event developed specifically for year 6 teachers involved practical workshops and honest conversations, to provide support and share impactful approaches for the classroom.

Headlining the event was renowned primary school teacher, speaker and writer, Sophie Bartlett, offering detailed SATs analysis and classroom resources. Joining her was a full list of KS2 specialists, offering advice and workshop sessions on a range of year 6 topics including:

• Charlie Burley, wellbeing expert a.k.a. The Teachers’ Health Coach
• Emily Weston, reading and writing enthusiast and transitions specialist
• Anna Crowther-Riley, inclusivity advocate from The SEN Expert
• Steph Rhodes, Maths lead and reading specialist
• Maaria Khan, English lead and SLT member
• Dr John Allan, Educational Psychologist and Head of Impact, PGL Beyond

In 2025 LbQ launched Sophie’s Travel Guide Through Year 6 – a free comprehensive handbook curated by the SATs and year 6 specialist along with a collection of trusted experts. The guide’s immediate success, with over 24,000 teachers downloading the handbook within two weeks, prompted the idea to bring the 2026 guide to life, as an in-person ‘festival-style’ event.

“Teachers of year 6 have so much to get to grips with these days that we thought it would be a fantastic idea to bring everybody together to offer support, share challenges and celebrate the brilliance of year 6,” said Heather Abela, Head of Marketing at LbQ. “Year 6 teachers are true heroes, however even heroes need a helping hand every now and again.”

Teachers attended the one-day event on 12 September from across the UK, and had the opportunity to choose from a selection of workshops, activities and advice sessions, according to their needs and interests.

“The workshops have been exactly what I would have chosen to do. They’ve been very purposeful and focused on what matters most to year 6 teachers,” said Hannah Bickerton from Varna Community Primary School in Manchester.

Alongside workshops and advisory sessions, attendees also enjoyed the opportunity to take part in adrenaline-filled activities such as rock climbing, archery and ziplining.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to host Year 6 Travel Guide LIVE at PGL Dearne Valley,” said Steve Beardsmore, Business Development Manager at PGL Beyond. “The unique environment provides the perfect setting for teachers to come together to connect and learn whilst experiencing the benefits of outdoor adventure, returning to the classroom with renewed drive and confidence.”

Alongside activities taking place throughout the day, teachers also enjoyed the opportunity to join together at an adventure basecamp, before finishing the day around a campfire.

Clare Jaggar from Barnham Primary School in Bognor Regis said: “It’s been great to meet up with lots of other year 6 teachers and realise that we’re all facing the same challenges and experiences together.”